The Mexican-American superhero ‘El Peso Hero’ was created by Héctor Rodríguez III, a writer and bilingual school teacher based in Dallas.

El Peso Hero is the superhero alias of Ignacio Rivera. Rivera’s comic storylines typically focus on the hero’s experience on the border. 

Rodríguez himself grew up in Eagle’s Pass, Texas, and took inspiration from his family for El Peso Hero. The character’s look was inspired by an uncle of Rodríguez’s.

Inspired by a Tío Chuy, El Peso Hero wears a classic white-collared button-up with blue jeans, a belt buckle, and cowboy boots.

The hero’s alias is a reclaimed insult once aimed at Rivera, equating him to a peso that’s lost its value.

The character has spent over 10 years on comic book panels in his pursuit to combat corrupt officials, the cartel, human traffickers, and advocate for migrant rights on the border.

El Peso Hero possesses a form of super strength and bulletproof skin, acquiring the abilities by accident and slowly working his way into a hero role thereafter.

Fast forward in El Peso Hero’s career to 2022, the on-page hero has tasked himself with assisting Ukraine in their ongoing conflict with Russia.

Inspired by Mexican officials' lacking stance on Russia's invasion, Rodríguez wrote a storyline for his protagonist that sends him to the country.

Rodríguez has explained that the storyline is influenced in-part by an age-old comic book trend where superheroes assist in real-life, ongoing conflicts.

"It's a callback toward Captain America and Superman during World War II and helping GIs, or helping the citizens in Europe,” Rodríguez told NPR.

In his latest issue, El Peso Hero goes to Mariupol to assist Ukraine. 

His accomplishments in the conflict were exemplified by the diverting of a gas attack, the deflecting of Russian gunfire, rescuing a trapped family, and locating a missing Red Cross volunteer.

Rodríguez has shared his hope that El Peso Hero’s story in Ukraine will influence readers to donate to UNICEF’s relief fund for Ukrainian children.